


Tiny Steps

by BeccaWrites



Series: The Omega/Draco series [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: "Married" Life, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Harry, Established Alpha/Omega bond, Established Relationship, M/M, Omega/Draco, Real-life hardships, can't really add too many tags before everyone starts guessing what the story is about, definitely more, so more to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2018-12-19 00:25:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11886033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeccaWrites/pseuds/BeccaWrites
Summary: The Omega abuse cases have been solved. Draco's gotten used to his new life and now start living it to the fullest.With new ideas in his mind, he sets out to achieve goals and 'change the world' (which might be a bit of a big goal), but changing his own life is good, too.He is obstructed, however, by laws, misunderstandings and other pitfalls that make his life much harder than it has to be. There are many hardships he'll have to go through before all his goals are achieved.Will he manage?





	1. Domesticated

**Author's Note:**

> OKAY SO HERE'S CHAPTER ONE. I was planning on updating this MUCH earlier, but, well, I got busy.  
> I'm not abandoning my stories, really, promise. 
> 
> I don't really have anything to add here, so... enjoy!

“I’m going, are you sure you don’t want me to bring you to the Burrow?” Harry wrapped his arm gently around Draco and kissed him quickly.  
Draco leaned into the kiss to make it last a bit longer. “No, I’ll be fine,” he sighed. Last time Harry had brought him to the Burrow this early they had walked into a rather disturbing scene and Draco hoped to avoid such things from happening again by dropping by a bit later.  
“Okay.” Harry kissed him again and Draco sighed a little, not really wanting his Alpha to leave. “I’ll be home at six, okay?”  
“I’ll have dinner ready.” Draco pressed his lips against Harry’s whilst silently wrapping his arms around the Alpha, trapping him and keeping him close until Harry broke free from the embrace. “I really have to go now… I don’t want to be late. Last time I turned up late at the office Robards shouted at me for a whole fifteen minutes.” He pecked Draco on the cheek and rushed out the door, leaving Draco standing alone in the hallway.  
He sighed. Being alone wasn’t really something he was great at. A glance at the clock told him he had only two more hours to go before it was an appropriate time to drop by at the Burrow. He sighed again and walked into the kitchen. The chore list for today lay on the kitchen table and he picked it up, studying it as if he didn’t do these every day.  
He took his apron from the hook and tied it up around him. With only two hours’ worth’ of time to kill he decided on some indoor chores that could be easily done within that time frame. The others he could do this afternoon – if he was lucky, Hermione would be home early and would help him. 

Draco stumbled out of the floo and came eye to eye with a breastfeeding Adelaide. He awkwardly looked away. “Erhm… Hi.”  
“Morning,” she answered happily and she turned away a little so that his direct view wasn’t her chest anymore. “Let me get the kettle going.”  
“I’ll do that,” he hastily offered and he side-stepped around her, scurrying around until he found the kettle and put it on. “Where’s Molly?” A few weeks ago, he’d finally gotten over the need to call Molly, Mrs Weasley all the time. It was still difficult to think of Mr Weasley as Arthur though.  
“I think she’s out in the garden. We’ve got gnomes,” Adelaide told him as she sat down. He could hear the shifting of clothing and then the soft, familiar sounds of her trying to make the baby burp. “Come on Alexander,” she murmured, and when he burped, cooing, “there’s my good boy, such a cutie…”  
Draco placed the tea set in front of her and sat down next to her. “I still can’t believe you chose Alexander over David.” He stretched his arms out and took Alexander from her, carefully supporting his little head and holding him close.  
“Molly liked Alexander better,” Adelaide shrugged, “and now he has the same initials as I do.”  
“Isn’t it also a reference to Arthur?” he dared to ask as he sniffed up the lovely baby smell that hung around the new-born.  
Adelaide had the decency to blush. “Maybe.” She poured them the tea and slid a cup in his direction. “Does it really matter though? I think it fits him.”  
“David would’ve fitted just fine as well,” Draco muttered and he repositioned Alexander a little so he could hold the baby more comfortably.  
“Well, anyway, how are you and Harry?” Adelaide brushed their previous subject aside easily and looked at him curiously.  
Draco felt relieved to have both arms occupied with the child, for he knew he would’ve rubbed his empty stomach otherwise. “We’re fine.”  
“So nothing came out of your last heat?” Adelaide probed.  
“No.” She knew him too well. He’d never really told her – or anyone, for that matter – about his wish to have children.  
“Oh.”  
He took a deep breath, taking the decision to finally talk about it in a split-second, and quietly said, “I don’t understand why it’s not… why we’re not…”  
Adelaide patted his knee. “It takes time.”  
“You were pregnant in one go.”  
“I was fertile and above all, we were a straight couple,” Adelaide said in a soothing voice, “you know how it’s always harder for two men to conceive.”  
“I know…” he murmured. “It’s just…” He looked at the baby in his arms so he didn’t have to look at anything else. The light weight was comforting and made it easier to speak on. “It’s just that every time… the last three heats… I had this bump… you know…”  
“Oh, Draco…” Adelaide sighed and she moved closer, placing her arms around him and holding him gently. “I’m sure next time it’ll happen…”

Back at Grimmauld Place, Draco set out to do the chores he always pushed ahead because he disliked them so much. He did the laundry and hung it out in the garden to dry, after which he did some garden work and prepared dinner.  
By the time five o’clock came around, he went upstairs, showered, prepared himself, put on clean clothes and went back downstairs to finish cooking. Neither Ron nor Hermione were home yet, which was curious – they were usually home well before Harry.  
So when the front door opened and shut again, Draco merely turned, expecting either Hermione or Ron, but certainly not Harry.  
He was wrong however, and within seconds he was being crushed against the body of his Alpha. “Ahh… I missed you,” Harry said and he kissed Draco’s neck.  
“… missed you too…” Draco mumbled and he hooked his leg around Harry’s hip, feeling an unusual jolt of arousal spike through the bond when he did that. Having picked that up, he moved his hips a little until they pushed snugly against Harry’s. Just a little roll of hips would be enough to stimulate them and he could feel that Harry was already half-hard in his trousers. “I notice you’ve missed me a lot,” Draco smugly said, making Harry groan in frustration. “It was a long day, okay, today was terrible.”  
“Hmmm, really?” Draco moved his head back a little, exposing their bond mark, despite knowing it was a futile attempt – Harry rarely ever bit him outside of heat.  
“Yes, we brought this dealer in illegal substances in and Smith apparently hadn’t handcuffed him right or something, but anyway, as soon as we were in the department he broke free and conjured a swarm of bats. He escaped and the entire department spent hours spelling the bats away.”  
“Hmmm… sounds pretty awful,” Draco acceded and he rolled his hips a little, feeling Harry harden because of the movement. “How can I make it better?”  
Harry moaned, pushing back eagerly, “this is a perfect start.”  
Draco laughed and pulled back a little, “you’ll have to wait a little while longer, dinner’s just ready.” He slid free from Harry’s not-so tight embrace and prodded the potatoes with a fork. “Yes, I think it’s ready.”  
Harry groaned. “I want you _now._ ”  
Draco laughed lightly and wiggled his arse in what he hoped was an enticing way. “Well, why don’t you take what is yours, then?” His voice was nowhere near as husky as he’d imagined it, but he’d started it now so he’d finish it, too.  
Harry sped forwards, grabbing onto Draco’s hips tight enough to bruise. He muttered a spell that made Draco’s trousers sink down to the floor and used his hands to spread his cheeks. Without much resistance, he pushed a finger in, making Draco gasp, “I already prepared, just fuck me, before Ron or Hermione gets home.”  
Harry grunted and pulled his hands back. “I can’t believe how perfect you are.”  
“More insatiable every day,” Draco laughed and he pushed his arse back a bit more. Harry muttered another spell and the kitchen door flew shut. He gripped Draco’s hips again, steadying the Omega as he easily pushed in, making both himself and Draco gasp.  
“Fuck, Draco, you’re so tight,” Harry panted and Draco clenched his muscles teasingly, loving the feeling of intrusion, loving how Harry slowly came to a standstill, unable to push in deeper. When Harry moaned, Draco relaxed his muscles, allowing the Alpha to move again. The slow slide, deep, slow thrusts inside him made Draco choke on his own breath and moan readily. “Harryyyy…” he whined.  
“Draco, Harry, are you in there?” Ron knocked loudly on the kitchen door and Draco could feel Harry tense up behind him. Draco sighed. This hadn’t been the first time that Ron had intruded during their love-making – although doing it in the kitchen maybe hadn’t been the smartest thing to do.  
“Ron…” Hermione sighed. “We shouldn’t… The door’s locked for a reason.”  
“Oh – OH. Gross.”  
“Just go away, damn it,” Harry growled, and soon enough, footsteps moved away from the door.  
Draco half-sighed, half-laughed. “Poor Ron.”  
“Yeah…” Harry agreed.  
“Now fuck me before they come back.”  
Harry laughed. “As you wish,” and set his hips back in motion.

The next day, after dinnertime, Adelaide came over. Draco had spent the day at Hermione’s office. Adelaide dumped Alexander in Draco’s arms, slumped down on the coach and closed her eyes. “ _Please_ watch him for a while, I need sleep so bad.”  
Draco blinked a few times to take in what just had happened and then cradled Alexander gently. “Okay, sure. Do you want to sleep in the guest room?”  
“No, I’m fine.”  
“Alright. D’you want me to wake you in a few hours?”  
“Uhu…” Adelaide seemed to be already asleep.

“Draco – where did you get that child?” Harry eyed Draco alarmingly. “Don’t tell me you stole a child.”  
Draco lifted Alexander against his chest protectively. “No,” he said defensively. “Adelaide dropped by. She’s downstairs. She needed some sleep and asked me to watch Alexander for a few hours.”  
Harry shook his head and sighed. “And you didn’t ask me if I was okay with you babysitting, the _one_ night Ron and Hermione are out?” He didn’t sound angry, more defeated.  
Draco shuffled his feet around. “Uhm. No? But he’s such a dear, look at him.” He turned a little to show Harry how calmly Alexander was looking around, with his bright, blue eyes.  
“If he’s such a dear, why did Adelaide drop him here?” Harry asked suspiciously.  
Draco shrugged. “I don’t know, but I don’t mind.” He hadn’t really told Harry about how often he visited the Burrow, not to see Adelaide or Molly, but to see the little baby. Harry had just assumed he missed Adelaide and Molly, and never asked.  
“Alright,” Harry yielded. “Just for tonight, then.”  
Draco smiled and sat down next to Harry, whilst still gently cradling Alexander. It was quiet for a long time, with Harry having returned to reading his book and Draco being completely absorbed in the cutest baby he’d ever held, so when Harry suddenly asked, “do you want kids?” Draco didn’t immediately responded. Harry nudged Draco’s side with his elbow. “Draco.”  
Draco looked up, a bit confused. “Hmw, what?”  
“I asked if you ever think about having kids,” Harry carefully repeated. Draco looked away, focussing on Alexander and rocking him to sleep. “I don’t know,” he murmured, feeling awkward about the lie as much as Harry’s question.  
“Don’t lie.” Harry placed his arm around Draco’s shoulders, pulling him closer gently. “I was just wondering, and whatever your answer is, I’m okay with it.”  
Draco leaned against Harry, placing his head against the Alpha’s shoulder. “I’m… Yeah… I’d like to have kids…” He wasn’t even sure if he was fertile yet, because it took most male Omegas four or five heats to become fully fertile and even then it was hard to conceive. Miscarriages were more the rule then they were the exception.  
“Okay,” Harry said, and that was all. 

As the days passed by, Draco grew more and more restless. Saying goodbye to Harry every morning was horrible and the fact that he sometimes went out on missions that took more than a day, making the Alpha absent from Draco’s life for sometimes two or three days, was terrifying. Sometimes he even had nightmares about Harry leaving him for such a mission. The thought that his Alpha might die in action – _because, let’s be real, it’s a dangerous job_ – left him so distressed he felt sick.  
He found himself craving for Harry’s presence more and more, practically jumping at the Alpha when he came home.  
The need to submit slowly but surely became a problem again and this time the lists with chores Harry left him with, weren’t enough.  
He just needed Harry closer. He needed Harry right next to him. He needed his Alpha.


	2. Crossroads

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELL FINALLY THAT TOOK LONG (right?)  
> I'm so sorry for waiting _this_ long to upload this chapter! I moved to a new apartment some two weeks ago and started studying at the university and my schedule as well as the subjects I take are rather demanding. And when I FINALLY was done writing this chapter, my beta ran out of time! I know, I know, terrible excuses...
> 
> Anyway, here's the new chapter! Enjoy.

Adelaide came over Friday evening, carrying Alexander in one of those front-carriers and it looked like such a fun and intimate way to carry your child around that Draco felt a sort of second-hand disappointment when she started undoing it.  
He was just about to ask about the thing, when Harry entered the living room, bringing a bottle of wine and three wine glasses. “Adelaide,” he said and while he hid his surprise well, Draco could feel the start through the bond.  
“You’re early.” Harry stepped forwards and very briefly hugged Adelaide.  
“Uhu…” She seemed to be occupied with Alexander for a few minutes and then continued, “Molly and Arthur sort of wanted me out and I figured Draco never minds my company, or, well, actually, Alexander’s…” As she sat down, she handed the baby over to Draco. He carefully accepted his favourite child and, feeling awkward but still wanting to do it, kissed Alexander’s head briefly, making him squeal happily.  
“Wine, Adelaide?” Draco could hear Harry offering Adelaide, but he didn’t look up from little Alexander. He didn’t know what it was, but the child managed to monopolise his attention every time.  
“Draco?”  
He looked up, only to find Harry looking at him worriedly. With some effort, he focussed on their bond and was surprised to find a mixture of shock, worry and some other emotions he couldn’t name.  
“I think it’s time for Alexander’s nap,” Adelaide announced and the awkward air that hung between Draco and Harry dispersed.  
“I’ll take him now.” Adelaide scooted over to Draco and gently took Alexander from his arms. It wasn’t like she ripped him away – she was quite careful – but it left Draco with a feeling as if the child had been torn away from him.  
Adelaide smiled a gentle, forgiving smile, as to send the message that she understood, that it was okay.  
Draco looked away awkwardly. Through the bond he could feel that Harry had been paying attention and he dreaded the conversation they were most definitely going to have – Harry was gentle and patient when it came to difficult subjects, but also perseverant. 

Side-along apparition was something Draco never seemed to get used to, and on top of that it was rather busy at the apparition point in the Leaky Cauldron.  
Harry led Draco outside and into Diagon Alley, where it was even busier. He offered Draco his arm as guidance, which Draco happily accepted.  
Mere seconds later, Draco clung to Harry’s arm as if his life depended on it and he was awkwardly conscious of the fact that he was doing it. A part of him found it horrifying how much he’d become dependent on Harry, but a different part argued it was quite nice to be navigated through Diagon Alley by his strong Alpha.  
“I’ll drop you off at Crossroads and pick you up again in two hours, okay?” Harry asked and he turned his head a little to look at Draco, eyeing him worriedly. _He probably feels my uneasiness through the bond…_  
“Yes, that sounds great,” he answered automatically and he smiled in the same manner. Worry sparked through the bond and Draco tried to make his smile seem more real. “I’ll be fine, really.”  
“I don’t like leaving you alone somewhere,’ Harry argued softly. ‘What if something happens?”  
They stopped in front of the bookstore and Draco pressed his lips against Harry’s for a chaste kiss. “Nothing’ll happen, okay? It’s only two hours and I’ll be spending them in a _bookstore_. I don’t see how that can be dangerous.” In any normal situation, Draco would’ve wanted Harry to stay with him in the bookstore, but he needed Harry as far away as possible for the task at hand.  
Harry sighed. “I know, I’m just… You know.’  
Draco knew.

Entering Crossroads, Draco felt at home instantly. He had only been to the bookstore a few times now, but was glad Molly had introduced him to it.  
It wasn’t the sort of place his parents would ever set foot in: the wooden door was old and a bit ramshackle, but the smell and look of aged wood was comforting and homey. To enter the actual store you then had to push through a small aisle, only wide enough for two people to walk in, so if someone wanted to exit the store you’d have to be careful not to bump into each other.  
After that you’d step into the store itself and you’d be surrounded by tall bookshelves that formed a maze through the store. In each section, there was a second-hand sub-section. Most second-hand books that were sold at Crossroads were still in a good condition, but they did have a section in the back in which you could find the books that were old and tattered. Molly always looked for books there, Draco knew.  
There was a second floor, too. That was where the more conspicuous sections were.  
Everywhere across the floor there were lovely nooks and crannies where one could retreat with a book once they’d found something good. The whole atmosphere made Draco feel like he was welcome, and made him forget about feeling awkward when asking employees what books they’d recommend or looking at sections that weren’t really meant for Omegas.  
After wandering around to prevent himself from looking too suspicious, (because even though he felt welcome, he didn’t want to bolt into the Omega section right away), Draco carefully set foot in the ‘Omega’ section of the bookstore. It was currently an empty aisle, which made him feel more comfortable immediately.  
He’d done some research on what type of books he’d need back at Grimmauld Place, hoping that it would safe him time just in case he couldn’t get rid of Harry for a longer period of time. He chose some books that sounded promising, fairly quickly.  
Having quite some time left, he sat down in one of the many window seats that could be found in the store, and started flipping through his first pick: “Being an Omega”. It seemed to be targeted at newly presented Omegas, but then again, Draco had never had the luxury of access to these types of educational books.  
He put the book to the side, deciding to buy it and bravely started to examine his more adventurous picks, among those were, “Being bonded”, about Alpha-Omega bonds, “Spice”, in which he hoped to find some information about being self-lubricating outside of heat, and, definitely the most bold one, “Complete submission”. That title was self-explanatory.  
After making a selection of books that seemed worth his time, he decided to go over the informative section again, to make sure he hadn’t missed anything – he hoped to find something about male Omega pregnancies.

“Would you like to have these charmed?” The checkout girl smiled at him, as if she hadn’t noticed Draco’s nervous fidgeting. The plan to buy these books for research and keep it a secret from Harry had seemed like a good idea, but the execution of it made him feel uncomfortable. Lying to Harry was horrible – never mind the fact that he was a terrible liar anyway.  
“I – yes please,” he managed to choke out nervously.  
The girl smiled at him again. “There’s an additional fee for that – one galleon and two knuts.”  
Draco nodded and she tapped her wand at each book. “Now to anyone, including you, they’ll seem like ordinary household books. When you open them, they’re the books you bought.” She wrapped the books in brown paper and put them in a paper bag. “Thank you for your purchase.”  
Draco took the bag and attempted to smile back, unsure of what to say now.  
“Have a nice day,” she added and then turned towards the next customer. Relieved, Draco made way to the exit. He could feel through the bond that Harry was near – _he must be almost here. Good thing I was done early._  
Just as Draco poked his head out the door, Harry was there. He smiled at Draco and Draco smiled back automatically, stepping outside and into Harry’s embrace.  
“Hey,” Harry said and Draco could hear the smile in his voice. “Were you already done in there?”  
“Yes.’ Draco held up his bag as evidence and pressed a quick, unsatisfactory peck in Harry’s cheek. He wanted to go home and be smothered by Harry, but knew that they had quite the list of things to do today. Still, he subtly tried to push his need for more private time with Harry through the bond, hoping that the Alpha would suggest they could go home and finish off their list later.  
Harry’s arm sneaked around Draco’s waist as he casually said, “I’ll take care of the other things some other time, let’s go home.”

The next week, Harry was out in the field again and left early in the morning, sometimes to come back home past midnight. Draco stayed at the Burrow, because he just couldn’t bear to be at Grimmauld Place at night without Harry. He had tried – two nights – but it was awful: going to bed alone in a cold bed which he couldn’t seem to warm up with his own body heat, insomnia due to worrying about Harry and then when Harry crashed into bed late at night for a few hours of sleep, there was no cuddling to be done. Harry was simply too tired.  
Draco’s evenings were spent chatting with Adelaide and Molly (sometimes Arthur joined in too) and cuddling with Alexander. During the daytime he was at Hermione’s office, reading his charmed books and making notes on them.  
Hermione seemed to sense that he wasn’t really in the mood to talk and remained quiet mostly. If he’d have to guess, she knew something was going on and waited for him to start the conversation.  
Which he did, eventually. 

“Hermione.”  
Hermione looked up, replying, “Draco,” rather dryly.  
“I need to talk to you about something.” From across the office, lounging on the couch that stood there mostly so Draco had a settee to lounge on, it was easier to start talking.  
Hermione put her quill down and relegated her papers. “Alright.”  
“It’s about me and Harry.”  
“Okay…” Hermione tentatively said, probably feeling that they were treading muddy waters.  
“It’s more about me than it is about Harry.”  
She seemed to relax a bit more. “Well, tell me then.”  
Draco hesitated, wanting to find the right way to put his feelings to words, “it’s… I hate it that he’s gone so much.”  
“Well, he is an auror. Field work is part of the deal when you sign up,” Hermione gently argued.  
“That’s not it.” Draco bit his lower lip and admitted, “I just don’t want him to leave – ever. I feel like I need him near me all the time and when he gets home I just want to jump him and – I think about him all day and worry and – I’m just so clingy.”  
Hermione swiped her hair out of her face and tapped her lower lip with her index finger, looking pensive. “It’s not unheard of for Omegas to need a lot of personal attention from their Alpha,” she eventually said, though it didn’t sound confident.  
Draco shook his head. “I talked to Adelaide about it and she said that she’s never experienced a need like I have.” He reluctantly added, “do you think it’s maybe the aftermath of… the abuse?” Even thinking about how he had been treated before made him feel sick.  
Hermione got up and sat down next to Draco, carefully draping a supporting arm over his shoulders. “It might be. Maybe others that have been treated badly need a bit more attention, too. If you’d like, I could take a look at the case files and see if this is something others are experiencing, too. Would you like that?”  
Looking at the ground but also leaning into Hermione’s soft, friendly touch, he nodded.  
They were quiet for a while, until Hermione broke their silence. “Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?”  
Draco shrugged.  
“Alright. What is it?”  
Draco reluctantly moved away from her to pick up the book he’d been reading, “A pregnancy guide” and dropped it, opened, on her lap. He’d burrowed it from Adelaide, because Crossroads hadn’t carried the sort of thing he was looking for.  
Hermione silently flipped through the book and eventually commented, “I had no idea you and Harry were trying to conceive.”  
“Harry doesn’t, either,” Draco quietly replied. “So far I’ve only told Adelaide.”  
Softly, Hermione placed her arm back on his shoulders. “Do you have any questions about it? I’m not an expert but there is someone at the ORO I could ask to provide some leaflets. And if you’re really serious I could reach out to St Mungo’s to see if they have information, too.”  
“Thank you.”  
“I’m so proud that you’re investigating these things on your own,” Hermione gently said and she squeezed his shoulder supportively.  
Draco managed a watery smile. “But I should tell Harry, right?”  
“All in time, Draco, all in time,” was her puzzling answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaawwwriightt, what do you think? Will Draco muster up the courage to tell Harry about his wishes? Do you think Harry is unaware of Draco's wish to get pregnant, or maybe he does know, and is just not ready for that?  
> Let me know what you think in the comments! (I love reading/getting comments so much, it's very motivating!)
> 
> P.S. I don't really dare to tell you when I'll be uploading chapter three - I'm working on it currently and while my writing proces is usually a swift one (as the people that have been with "Roots of a new life" from the start) and I can more or less produce a chapter within two days - if I allow writing to be my full-time occupation. Sadly (and luckily), writing is not my full-time job. As stated before, I just started doing a major in Japan Studies and it is HARD. And time-consuming.  
> Please do not fear I will abondon this story - I love it more than I can tell you - but please have patience with me as I try to find my place in this new schedule I'm on. I'm hoping that over the course of the next few weeks I'll get more accustomed to my new life, and the uploads will be on a more regular basis (and not spread out so much).


	3. Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so here is chapter 3, finally. I've been working on it for a long time, and I'm still not 100% satisfied but I guess I'll never be.  
> Also, my beta (due to an array of issues) has not beta-read this chapter. So if you find weird mistakes, if sentences don't flow that well... I'm sorry, I tried my best.

Harry sneaked into the bedroom, making Draco turn over and sigh. “I’m still awake, Harry, you don’t have to be quiet.” Harry had been out in the field and, unexpectedly, had to work late. It had been too late for Draco to make arrangements to stay at the Burrow – Harry had send a message at around five in the afternoon.  
Harry yawned and scooted into bed. “You’re up late…”  
Draco easily slid closer and basked in Harry’s body heat. “Yes…” It was an affirmative answer, but that was mostly because he had no idea what to say. He had always been a light sleeper, but sleeping when Harry was away – possibly getting _killed_ – kept him up, worrying, trying to sense through the bond if his mate was safe.  
Harry closed an arm around Draco’s waist and yawned again. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but it only resulted in another yawn.  
Draco buried his face in the crook of Harry’s neck, murmuring, “I’m glad you’re home… safe…” but by that time, Harry was already asleep.  
When Draco woke up the next morning, Harry had already left.

“So tell me what you found.” Hermione sounded stern and not for the first time, Draco thought that she might’ve missed her vocation – she would make a wonderful teacher. “Well…” He hesitated, not so much because he hadn’t learned anything from his research, but because he wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk about it with Hermione. Not sure if he wanted to talk about it at all.  
“Oh, come on. It can’t be that bad,” she gently pushed Draco into at least contradicting her.  
“No, it’s not,” he murmured. “It’s just… I’m not… You’re not my Alpha.” It came out a lot more defensive than he had wanted it to and he could feel a blush creeping up and colouring his cheeks.  
“I’m not,” Hermione calmly attested. “But I am your friend, as well as a qualified ORO official, so you can talk to me about it.”  
It surprised Draco time and time again how adept she was at convincing him to talk, even though they already had many arguments much like this one. “Just promise me you won’t tell Harry.”  
Hermione sighed, but acceded, “I won’t, Draco.”  
Draco fidgeted with the edges of the parchment in his journal, took a deep breath and opened the booklet on the right page. “Okay so… ahm… Here’s what I wrote…” He drew in another deep breath. “Alpha-Omega bonds can be quite different from one another, but in general there are three categories. A basic bond, in which the couple has bonded during a heat and in which no other symptoms occur. A grade one bond, is one where the above has happened, but with the addition that the Alpha can feel snippets of the Omega’s emotions and/or feelings. This type of bond is most common. More special is the grade O bond, in which both the Alpha and the Omega can sense each other’s emotion and/or feelings and in special cases, there is something called the grade O-S bond, where both can sense where their mate is and sometimes communicate basic needs through the bond.” He flipped the page and looked at Hermione expectantly.  
She smiled encouragingly.  
He took a sip of water and then continued, “Nowadays, it can be stated that in general, most bonded Omegas are/can be satisfied with even the basic bond, and no other needs will occur. However, in the O-S bond, in about five percent of all cases the Omega feels a disproportionate need to submit to his Alpha. Other symptoms of such a situation are: an excessive need for attention, jealousy, hoarding, nesting urges and acting hostile towards others.”  
Hermione nodded. “So do you have any of those symptoms?”  
Draco shrugged. “Not all of them. And the book explicitly stated that especially the hoarding, nesting and hostility are symptoms of this specific case. I don’t have any of those.”  
Hermione tapped her lower lip with her index finger. “You were quite hostile towards Neville the other day.”  
Draco bit back a nasty comment and instead said, “he touched Harry.”  
“Hmm. And what else did you find?”  
Draco looked back down, at his notes. “Well, about bonds, that was about it…”  
“And about pregnancies?” She sounded rather detached and that helped Draco push his embarrassment and his awkward feelings about that subject away, and dryly read his notes on that out loud as well. “Male Omega pregnancies are rare due to an array of facts. Firstly, while male Omegas have the capacity to carry children, their body wasn’t originally made for such a task. Next to that, in order to successfully and without assistance conceive, both the Omega and Alpha need to have a strong magical core. Most advisable is that they at least have a grade O bond. Even if the couple successfully conceives, most male Omega bodies don’t adapt to the pregnancy well.” Draco stopped there, looking at Hermione. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for when he looked at her – compassion? Empathy?  
Not finding what he was looking for, he finished with a murmur, barely audible. “Even with a successful pregnancy, permanent deformation can only rarely be prevented.”  
Hermione made a soft, pitying noise and then remained quiet. 

A few days later, Draco found some leaflets wedged in between the pages of the novel he’d been reading. There was no note, nothing, just the leaflets.  
It was one of those rare days on which he had nowhere to go, and so he had remained in Grimmauld Place. With no-one in the house but him, he finished his chores in a hurry and then sat down in the downstairs living room. He eyed the leaflets for a while before he finally mustered up the courage to take a look at them.  
“Mental health” was the title of the top one. After looking at the front for a while, he flipped it open. Once opened, the letters rearranged themselves into an informative text about a private fertility clinic situated in Edinburgh. It looked really pretty and the text was obviously aimed at Omegas, not Alphas.  
Another leaflet was from St Mungo’s and provided general information about male Omega pregnancies. Interested, Draco flipped through it, thus finding out that it was indeed true that the bodies of male Omegas were not built for the (female) task of pregnancy. Depending on the type of bond the Alpha and Omega had, and the strength of the Omega’s magical core, the Omega’s body would not adept at all, in part, or completely to the pregnancy.

_Male Omega pregnancies can be hard. Often, the couple has to use magic/needs help from a specialist in order to successfully conceive._  
_‘Natural’ Omegas (less than a percent of the male Omegas is a ‘natural’ Omega) have a body that adapts to the pregnancy completely – no C-section will be needed for the delivery and the male will also be capable of breastfeeding the child. However, more often the Omega only develops either one of the skills. Most often, male Omegas gain neither skill._  
_Luckily, there are ways to have a successful pregnancy despite all this.  
Interested? Visit our clinic!_

\----

“Harry, I don’t want to go,” Draco said as firm as he could. “And I don’t want you to go either.” He remained standing in the middle of their bedroom while Harry changed into a more fancy outfit. Draco watched as Harry stripped, watching his mate’s naked body with interest. They had had this argument every day for the last two weeks, every time ending the argument at an impasse, neither prepared to give in. This had resulted in Draco refusing to have sex with Harry. It hadn’t been easy – Draco had gotten so used to the amount of sex they had, that doing without left him wet all the time.  
“Draco, we’re going.” Harry didn’t even _look_ at Draco as he aggressively thrust his feet into his trousers. “Get changed.”  
“No.”  
“Bloody hell,” Harry muttered, obviously fuming with anger – Draco could feel the white-hot rage Harry was holding back flood through the bond. Harry turned towards Draco, his jaw tight. “Draco, we’re going.”  
“I don’t want to.”  
“Yeah, well, I know, but I do things I don’t really want to for you, too.” Harry gnarled the words out, sounding as if he was about ready to strangle Draco. “Listen, just go sit with Adelaide and Alexander, okay, you don’t even have to talk to her. There’ll be a ton of people so the odds of you having to actually having to interact with her are not very high.”  
“I don’t care.” Draco stood firm.  
“Fucking hell,” Harry muttered again, and then, louder, “Listen, it’s her twenty-first birthday and I’m not going to miss it. So either you come with me or you stay home. “ _I’m_ going.”

And that was how Draco had ended up on Ginny’s twenty-first birthday party, sitting grumpily in the kitchen with Adelaide.  
For a while, cuddling with little Alexander had cheered him up, but then the little one had fallen asleep and Adelaide had laid him in his cot.  
“Oh, heavens.” Adelaide got up, jerked open one of the cabinets and took out two wine-glasses, which she then filled with a generous amount of white wine. “Here.” She gave one to Draco and held up her own. “Here’s to an awful party and horrible Alphas.”  
Draco clinked his glass against hers in silent agreement.

Draco couldn’t remember how many glasses of wine he’d had – it had seemed like just one, or maybe two, but three hours later he couldn’t care less. He was pleasantly tipsy and he liked the world this way much more.  
Adelaide seemed a bit giddy as well, as she had just provided Draco with a detailed description of how she slept with both Molly and Arthur.  
“It’s lotsa’ fun, y’know.”  
“I’m sure.” Draco could barely suppress a giggle at the thought of Adelaide, Arthur and Molly engaged in a threesome.  
“Maybe’ll get pregnant…” Adelaide mused. “Are you yet?”  
Draco patted his ever-flat stomach and downed his glass, which magically refilled itself. “Nope. Lotsa sex, though.”  
“S’he any good?” Adelaide moved and suddenly she was leaning into him heavily, face against his shoulder and arm around his waist.  
“Yeah … his cock… so great…”  
Adelaide giggled encouragingly so Draco continued, “s’just great… when he’s rough…” He couldn’t suppress the weird half-moan that escaped from his mouth and suddenly realised how wet he was – he could feel the wet spot in his trousers, and suppressed a whine.  
Adelaide giggled again.  
“Wish he’d just knock me up,” Draco murmured.  
Adelaide patted his thigh awkwardly. “Soon’nuff, soon’nuff…”  
They were quiet in a comfortable silence for a while, in which time Draco drank another three glasses of wine.  
“Wish I were pregnant again,” Adelaide suddenly said and she sat up again. “Babies are great.”  
Draco nodded and rubbed his eyes, finding his fingers wet after that.  
Adelaide came closer again. “Oh Draco don’t cry…’  
“ ’M not…”  
Behind them, someone coughed. “Adelaide, I’ll be taking Draco home now. Thank you for keeping him company.”  
Strong hands lifted him out of his chair and Draco pressed his face against Harry’s chest, sniffing up that divine smell and moaning because of it. He rubbed himself against Harry, even more randy now that his Alpha was near.  
Harry used the kitchen floo to bring them home.  
As soon as Draco’s body touched the bed though, he was gone, sleeping the deep sleep only drunken people sleep. 

Draco woke up with one hell of a hangover the next morning, and, finding that he was alone once more, took the floo to the Burrow. Arriving in the kitchen, he found Adelaide in a similar state. Molly seemed to be just fine, flurrying around like always.  
“Please kill me now,” Draco groaned as he sank down in one of the ramshackle kitchen chairs.  
“There there,’ Molly said and she poured tea for the three of them.  
Draco took a few reluctant sips, finding that he felt better almost instantly. “Thank Merlin,” he croaked and he nodded thankfully at Molly, who briefly smiled.  
Adelaide rubbed her eyes, grumbling as if her hangover hadn’t been cured quite yet.  
Molly chuckled and left the kitchen.  
“Did we really talk about our sex-lives last night?” Adelaide asked.  
Draco took a few more sips of the hangover cure, trying to remember exactly what they’d been talking about. “I think so.”  
“I remember you like it rough,” Adelaide teased and Draco felt the blood speed to his cheeks, colouring them in an instant.  
“I just really want Harry to be with me more…” he eventually mumbled  
“Dominate you more, as well,” Adelaide provided.  
“Yes,” Draco admitted  
“And get you pregnant.”  
He just nodded. Desperation sneaked back into his heart. He looked away, pushing the unpleasant feeling away as much as he could.  
Adelaide moved over, sat down next to him and tenderly draped her arm over his shoulders, pulling him closer. He let his body fell against hers, hiding his face against her shoulder.  
“There there,” Adelaide murmured in a soft, soothing voice and she rubbed his back.  
“I’m not crying,” he meekly protested. He was beyond tears.  
Adelaide said nothing. 

When Draco stumbled out of the floo, he found Harry in the living room. “You’re home early,” Draco remarked.  
“Yeah… it was a slow day today so…” Harry didn’t finish the sentence and Draco could feel an uneasy feeling slip through the bond.  
“Okay…” He walked up to Harry and kissed him quickly, only to be trapped in the Alpha’s arms when he wanted to pull back. “Harry…?” he asked, hesitant. Harry liked to cuddle, sure, but this was not… the usual thing. The uneasy feeling Draco could feel through the bond became stronger and he made a soft noise. _Maybe he’s just had a rough day…_ Draco thought and he settled comfortably in Harry’s embrace.  
After a while, when the uneasy – _nervous?_ – feeling subdued, Draco pressed a slow kiss against Harry’s neck. Harry made a soft noise that Draco recognised as approval so he let his lips travel further, eventually pushing Harry’s shirt aside so he could kiss the indent right below his collar bone. First, Harry made that noise again, but when Draco pressed his body closer against Harry’s, Harry stepped out of the embrace in one smooth motion.  
Draco could barely bite back the whine that was already on the tip of his tongue. “Harry…”  
Harry looked away, so Draco tugged on their bond to see if he could feel anything. _He’s nervous. Why is he nervous?_  
Harry sank down in his chair. Draco followed him with his eyes, when a stack of books with some leaflets on top on the coffee table caught his eye. _His_ charmed books, _his_ leaflets.  
“Harry…?” he again asked, now feeling nervous himself.  
“Draco,” Harry responded, sounding nervous. He coughed, looked away awkwardly and then at Draco again, finally saying, “Draco, we need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> O MY GOD A CLIFFHANGER WHAT DID I DO?!


	4. The talk//breaking point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK!  
> Oh my god, how long has it been? Almost two months? Anyway, this chapter is long overdue.  
> I hate to have it posted so late, but then again... I don't want to say it's perfect now, but I do feel like it's been quite some time since I've felt this satisfied about a chapter.  
> Many thanks to my new beta, who was very quick to read and edit.  
> Enjoy!

Draco closed his eyes, trying not to panic. He could feel Harry’s emotions adding to his own, creating a confusing mix that made him feel like he couldn’t breathe. Eventually, he choked out, “those were private.”  
“I thought you knew you could trust me.”  
It sounded hurt and Draco could _feel_ Harry was hurt. Harry’s emotions were so strong that they clouded his mind, making it hard for Draco to grasp his own feelings. Trying to block Harry out, Draco looked away.  
“Draco.”  
Draco heard the urgency in Harry’s voice, almost like a command, making him step back, trying to escape the near-command and the pressure he could feel coming from his Alpha to say something, _anything._  
“ I wasn’t – I am – I can’t talk about it.”  
Harry clenched his jaw and relaxed it again. “You talked about it with everyone! Molly, Hermione, Adelaide…! You bought these books – ”. He drew in a deep breath as if trying to calm himself, but it was too late. “You should have told me.” The forceful tone of his voice made Draco step back even more, until he felt the cold wall against his back. “I’m not… ready…” he whispered.  
“It seems to me like you are more than ready! Where did you even get these books?! The leaflets?! How long have you been hiding this from me?!” The way Harry raised his voice, demanded answers, stepped closer, triggered Draco’s submissive instinct and the urge to obey and answer all Harry’s questions was suffocating. Draco fought the blinding urge to submit and found himself cowering away from Harry, barely able to squeak, “please don’t…”  
Harry stopped in his tracks, quiet in an instant. “I should…” He stepped back towards the door as if to leave the room, but stopped when Draco whined. “Please… stay…”  
“Draco – I…” Harry shook his head and the air in the room became a bit lighter. “I don’t want to hurt you.”  
Draco’s feelings were conflicted. Harry was the reason why he was afraid, but whenever he was afraid, he fled to Harry. The fact that Harry and his Alpha-ness didn’t fill the room as much anymore relieved Draco of some of his fear. “I need to you stay,” he whispered, barely audible, but trying to transmit his feelings through the bond. Harry’s feelings – concern, lingering anger, _love?_ – bounced back.  
“How close…?” Harry slowly stepped forward, until Draco drew in a sharp breath.  
Harry stepped back a little and then sat down on the floor. He was quiet for a good while, but then, nothing more than a hushed whisper, “tell me what to do.”  
Draco shook his head. He wasn’t – he couldn’t – he…  
Harry stayed quiet, allowing Draco to mentally distance himself from both Harry and the bond. Draco could still feel Harry’s conflicted emotions through the bond, but it was much more muted now. He drew in a deep, steadying breath and felt the panic slowly seep away. Eventually, the gentle pull towards his Alpha won over Draco's fear of him.  
Draco slowly started inching closer to Harry. Harry let out a nervous laugh. “Draco, what are you –”  
“Shh…I’m not ready to talk yet,” Draco murmured as he found his way into Harry’s arms. Harry slowly brought up his arms to encircle Draco’s body gently, keeping him close but trying not to restrict him.  
“Okay,” Harry whispered. “Soon?”  
Draco, face hidden against Harry’s shoulder, nodded. 

“There you go.” Harry handed Draco a mug of hot chocolate milk. It was topped with whipped cream and tiny marshmallows, exactly how Draco liked it, even though he’d never told Harry so. “Thank you.”  
Harry sat down on the couch next to him. “It’s okay.” He visibly hesitated. “Are you… are you still upset?”  
Draco shook his head. “No I’m… I’m okay.” They’d untangled a little while ago, but the uneasiness between them was still there. “What did you tell Ron and Hermione?”  
Harry shrugged. “Just that we needed some time alone, asked them not to disturb us tonight.”  
“Oh, okay…”  
“So…”  
“I was thinking we could maybe watch a movie,” Draco suggested quickly, afraid Harry might want to talk already.  
But if Harry had such plans, it wasn’t visible. He got up and plugged in the TV. “What do you want to see?”  
Draco sipped from his hot cocoa. “We still haven’t seen the last one of those weird vampire films.”  
“Okay.” Harry set everything up and then sat back down next to him. He seemed unsure of what to do, so Draco moved a bit closer and quietly cuddled up to his Alpha. Harry sighed and wrapped his arm around him. “I love you,” he murmured, barely audible and it took Draco a few minutes to respond, equally quiet, “I love you too, Harry.”

The next morning, Harry and Draco got up together. Breakfast was a quiet affair, and despite the fact that Draco wasn’t afraid anymore, it was a bit awkward, too. When it was time for Harry to leave for work, Draco reached across the table and took Harry’s hand. “Don’t go.”  
Harry squeezed Draco’s hand. “It’s my job. I don’t have much of a choice.” It sounded so gentle, making Draco want to pull his hand back and lock his emotions back up in their cage. “I need you here.” It sounded just as whiney as it had sounded in his head and he nearly flinched.  
Harry sighed, a little hopeless. “Why don’t you come with me?”  
Draco bit his lip. “Okay…” it came out nearly as a sigh. He felt defeated. 

“… so, in short, I need some time off of work,” Harry finished.  
Head Auror Robards swiped his hand over his face and sighed. “I don’t really have much of a choice, do I?”  
“Taking care of Draco is currently my top priority, yes,” Harry confirmed.  
“What about working less? Just desk work?”  
Draco looked at Harry, attempting to transmit a subtle _“say no”_ to Harry, but it hadn’t been necessary at all, as Harry started shaking his head as soon as Robards proposed the idea.  
“No.”  
Robards again swiped his hand over his face, sighing. “How long?”  
“I don’t know,” Harry answered tensely. Draco fought the urge to move closer to his Alpha, to show his support, his love or – he wasn’t quite sure, actually.  
Robards now started rubbing his temples. “A month, for now. Let me know if you need more time.”  
“Thank you sir.” Harry got up and gently helped Draco out of his seat as well.  
Once safely out of the department, Harry slid his arm around Draco’s waist. He was going towards the exit when Draco jerked to the right, in the direction of the ORO. Harry said nothing and followed Draco’s lead as he led them to Hermione’s office.  
Harry made to knock, but Draco barged in, sank down on the couch and waited for Hermione to give him a cup of tea.  
Hermione made the tea first, before asking, “Harry, aren’t you supposed to be at work?”  
Harry eventually sat down next to Draco. “I took a leave of absence.”  
“Ah.” Hermione gave them both a cup of tea and closed the office door on her way back to her desk chair. “So…”  
“Harry found my books and went all Alpha on me,” Draco blurted out.  
“Harry!” Hermione’s indignation was obvious.  
Harry looked away sheepishly. “I actually didn’t realise what I was doing until later.”  
Hermione shook her head in disapproval.  
“So, uhm, anyway,” Draco awkwardly started, “Harry and I need to talk about it and I feel like we need a mediator.” He looked away, mumbling, “we need you.”  
“Ah.” Hermione organised the papers on her desk and flipped open her notepad. “Well, go on then. I’ll be listening.”  
Draco looked at Harry, unsure of how to start, when Harry said: “I feel awful.” Hermione nodded lightly. “And why is that?”  
Harry shifted in his seat and Draco almost immediately scooted closer to Harry, grabbing his hand and intertwining their fingers.  
“I had no idea... I didn’t know...” Harry turned to face Draco. “I had no idea you felt this way.”  
Draco bit his lip, looking at the floor. “I tried to hide it from you.”  
“But...?” Hermione gently coaxed him into continuing.  
“But I could feel through the bond that you... you knew something was wrong, right?”  
Harry nodded. “I could feel your uneasiness but I... I thought you would tell me when you were ready.”  
Draco shook his head. “I’m not...” Talking about his feelings was _hard._  
“I thought you knew you could trust me.”  
“I do!” Draco looked up, finding that his Alpha looked quite forlorn. Guilt washed over him and he didn’t know what to say.  
“Harry, Draco has lived in an abusive situation his entire life. You can’t expect him to know how to handle situations like this, at all. You should be careful with him, and not just assume he knows things. He’s never had an Alpha he could trust. Why would he trust you?” Hermione sounded calm and reasonable.  
“I just... assumed he knew...” Harry whispered. He looked at Draco again and this time, Draco didn’t look at the floor, but looked back at his Alpha. “Do you trust me?”  
Draco nodded slowly. “I do but... sometimes... I just don’t know what to do to or... well...” He drew in another deep breath, “Harry, I love you but I – I’m just not used yet to... sometimes I’m afraid of what you’ll think of me when I tell you everything about how I feel or what I think.”  
Harry said nothing for awhile, until Hermione opened her mouth to say something.  
“I suppose I just hadn’t realised.” He shook his head and sighed, shoulders slumping down.  
“I think taking a leave of absence was a great decision, Harry,” Hermione gently interjected. “The whole situation around the abuse and your bonding hasn’t exactly been a walk on the park. You both need time, together.”  
Both Draco and Harry were quiet for a while.  
Hermione broke the silence. “Do you think you can talk the rest out on your own?”  
Draco looked at Harry, silently weighing his options. Did he really need Hermione present in order to voice his feelings? _No._ Did he distrust Harry? _Not really, but still..._  
“I think we’ll be fine,” he decided.

Back home, Harry made tea and they sat down in the kitchen.  
“So…”  
“I’m sorry I never told you anything,” Draco quietly began, “it wasn’t out of distrust, it was... I thought... I wanted to figure everything out myself first, before burdening you with it.”  
Harry remained quiet, so Draco continued: “I felt like maybe my feelings...” He swallowed nervously, hoping he didn’t say anything wrong, “...my needs were a nuisance to you. You are always so busy with work that...” Draco fell silent, unsure of how to finish his sentence.  
“I thought we were fine,” Harry murmured. “I mean I could feel you felt uneasy at times but apart from that, I thought...”  
Draco hesitated for a split-second, and then placed his hand on Harry’s knee. “I hate that your work has you coming and going at irregular hours, sometimes not coming home at all... every time I feel sick, thinking you could've been killed.”  
“I didn’t know...” Harry murmured again, sounding hurt.  
Draco moved a little closer to his Alpha and felt Harry’s arm slip around his waist. “You know now,” he said softly, carefully.  
They were quiet for a long time, until Harry tentatively said, “we still need to talk about your books.” He said it carefully, calmly, so as not to trigger Draco.  
Draco sighed. “I suppose we have to.”  
Harry waited for a little while and then softly asked, “I saw the leaflets were about pregnancy... and two of the books, too.” He turned his head and pressed his lips against Draco’s hair, gently. “We haven’t really talked about having children. Is that something you want?”  
Draco made a soft, embarrassed noise.  
Harry drew in a sharp breath. “Is it something you _need_?”  
This time, Draco was the one to breath in sharply. “It’s not... it’s not a need in the sense that... it wouldn’t hurt me physically if I wouldn’t get pregnant.”  
“Mentally?” Harry questioned.  
Draco shook his head. “It’s not like that but... I get my hopes up every time I go into heat and... it’s just....”  
“We weren’t actively trying, though,” Harry gently contradicted, but then, more insecure, “right?”  
Draco shook his head. “No, we weren’t.”  
Harry suddenly smiled, a flash of white teeth and lips curling up to form the cheeky grin Draco loved so much. “I wouldn’t mind having kids.” He moved his hand a little, placing it over Draco's flat stomach. “I think you'd look lovely, carrying our child.”  
Draco placed his hand over Harry’s. “Don’t say things you don’t mean,” he murmured, trying not to get his hopes up.  
“I mean it, Draco.” Harry sounded a lot more serious now. “Maybe I haven’t given it that much thought, yet, but I would like to have kids and if you want them now then that is something I want, too.”  
Draco let out a relieved, breathy sigh. “I guess we’ll have to schedule an appointment at St Mungo's then.”  
Harry intertwined his fingers with Draco’s and smiled.  
“I guess so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... What do you think? Will our lovely couple dive into the world of possible pregnancies? Will they come across more problems as they go? How will their relationship develop, now that Harry's taken some time off? What will friends and family think?
> 
> Find it out in the next chapter!
> 
> P.S. Like I said before, I can't really promise anything regarding my schedule when it comes to writing and uploading. Uni's really killing me. Up until Christmas I have exams... After that it should get better soon, but again, I can't promise anything.  
> I hope you, my lovely readers, will continue to read my story, as it writing it (and your comments) make me so happy.  
> Here's to hoping I'll have another chapter done soon...


	5. Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there, here's another chapter! Because I definitely know how to schedule things (not), this is a Christmas chapter.  
> I hope that, despite the holiday season being over, you'll still like it.

“Hmmww... Harry... stop moving...” Draco murmured, moving back a little and trying to keep the other man from moving.   
“... sorry...” came the apologetic, sleepy answer from behind him. “Sleeping in feels weird....”  
Draco reached behind him to grab Harry’s arm and pull it back around him. “Shush,” he grumbled. The sun wasn’t even up yet, there was no reason for Harry to be awake and next to that Draco wasn’t going to give up his warm, comfortable position as the little spoon.  
“Okay...” It was a soft whisper, barely audible, but still, Draco smiled a little and made himself comfortable against his mate.

The next time Draco woke, he was alone. Sleepily, he sat up. After a few minutes, he decided to get up and go look for Harry.  
Just as he placed his feet on the cold floor, Harry came into the bedroom. A breakfast tray floated in behind him. Quickly, Draco pulled his feet up, back into the bed and pulled up the covers.   
“I saw that,” Harry laughed light-heartedly.   
Draco bit his lower lip, a little nervous despite Harry’s tone, and tried to sense Harry’s actual mood through the bond. When nothing but soft, fuzzy, loving feelings came through, he dropped the covers a little bit. “Is that breakfast?”  
Harry smiled. “Yeah.” He sat down next to Draco and let the breakfast tray float right beside them. “Want some?”  
Draco sat up a bit more, looking at all the things Harry had brought. Croissants, tea, orange juice, some fruit... His sleep-addled brain needed a few minutes to realise...  
“Did you read my book?” The food Harry had brought was a near perfect copy of the suggested breakfast in ‘A pregnancy guide’.  
Harry shrugged. “I might have leafed through it when I woke up early this morning. I mean, if we’re going to be serious about...” He didn’t finish his sentence and coughed a little awkwardly, something Draco had come to recognise as a sign of nervousness.   
“... anyway I thought it couldn’t hurt to be a bit more informed before we look into things more seriously.”   
Draco blinked. “I...”   
His stomach growled loudly, making Harry burst out into laughter. “Let’s eat.”

After breakfast, they found themselves back in each other's arms.   
“Harry?”  
“Hmmm...?” Harry moved a little, tightening his grip on Draco.   
“Can we go see Adelaide?” Draco turned in Harry’s arms, facing him and analysing the look on his face.   
“We can if you want to, but we’ll have to get dressed first,” Harry reminded him.   
“Yes...”   
“Still want to?”  
Draco hid his face against Harry’s shoulder. “... maybe...”  
“Hmmm... Sure you don’t want to stay like this for a little while longer?” Harry inquired and he was right to, as it was already around four in the afternoon and they still hadn’t left their bedroom because Draco kept pulling Harry close for hugs and cuddling and attention. It was so nice to have his Alpha this close and to be smothered and get all his attention and... Draco realised that what he was doing was dangerously close to nesting and he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that. So he gave a little experimental push against Harry’s chest, creating a tiny bit more space between them. It was more to test whether or not he was willing to part with his Alpha, than it was an answer to Harry’s question – he’d forgotten what Harry had asked anyway, but Harry was already letting go of Draco. “I’ll firecall Molly to see if it’s okay if we drop by.”  
Draco moved along with Harry, remaining close. “Maybe just ask if we can come over for dinner – of invite them over or...”  
“You’re going to fall off the bed if you keep doing that,” Harry warned, grabbing onto Draco’s arm and stopping him from going over the edge. “You stay here, I’ll be back before you can say ‘lumos’.”  
“Lumos,” Draco said dryly.   
Harry snorted. “You know that’s just a figure of speech.”   
Draco shrugged.  
“Well, just a minute then,” and Harry stepped out of the room.   
“Harry...”  
Harry turned back around, “yes?”  
“Come back,” Draco mumbled a little embarrassed, feeling his cheeks burn with the blush.   
Harry tipped his head to the side, questioning, “but I thought you wanted to visit Adelaide?”  
“I changed my mind,” Draco mumbled, so quietly that it was possible Harry hadn’t heard it at all.  
The Alpha remained frozen in place for a few moments, but then stepped back towards Draco. “Okay... that’s okay...” Harry murmured. “Whatever you need...”

Apparently, what Draco needed was to decorate the entire house for the holiday season. He went to the unused room on the top floor where all the Christmas decorations were stored and spend several days sorting them out. The first day he went in there, he nearly choked on the amount of dust that had accumulated over time. “Sweet Merlin, Harry don’t you ever clean this room?” he coughed as he stepped back onto the hallway.   
“I’ve asked Kreacher to do it a few times, but like I said, he’s a lousy house elf,” Harry said with an amused smile. “Still sure you want to decorate the house?”  
Draco plucked a handkerchief out of his pocket and tied it around his nose and mouth. “Yes.”  
Harry chuckled. “Okay,” and Draco stepped back into the room, determined to clean everything and select what pieces he wanted to use for the house. When the room was mostly clean (at least so that there wasn’t a choking hazard anymore), Harry joined Draco. Not to actually _do_ anything, because as soon as he tried that, Draco became agitated, annoyed and a little angry. He wasn’t quite sure _why_ , especially because he had the same response when Harry tried to leave the narrow room to let Draco work on his own.  
By day three, they came to the amicable solution of Harry just lounging around and reading, while Draco did whatever he wanted to do.   
On day four of ‘Operation Christmas ornament room neatening’ or ‘operation C.O.R.N’, Draco decided that about half of the decorations were so hideous he asked Harry vanish them. With the half left over, he decorated the top two floors of Grimmauld Place. It was quite elaborate, with holly on every door and garlands wrapped around the stair banister. He hung golden and red baubles everywhere, coloured tinsel, berries, added little bells wherever he could and asked Harry to do some spells to make everything smell like pine. This way, the floors did not only _look_ like Christmas, it smelled and sounded like it, too.   
Day five was the day he made lists on everything else he needed for the bottom two floors and forced Ron and Hermione to shop for everything.   
During day six and seven, he completed the last two floors, including huge Christmas trees in the office and both the living rooms. After a fiery discussion with Hermione, he allowed her and Ron to do the Christmas tree in their own living room. Everything else, though, was firmly in his grip.   
Finally, on day eight, he and Harry decorated their bedroom together.   
“Draco, are you sure about that?” Harry asked when Draco started to add garlands around the posters of their bed.   
“Yes!” Draco huffed, “I wouldn’t do it if I wasn’t, would I?”  
“Are you going to hang glass baubles in them?”  
Draco shot him an incredulous look. “Of course not, we’ll use the plastic ones I had Hermione buy.”  
“Oh.” Harry sounded relieved. “Okay, so what else can I do?”  
“Nothing! Just sit...” Draco looked around, looking for a surface that was safe for Harry to sit on while he decorated, “... there.”   
“That’s the floor.” Harry sounded perplexed  
“Your observation skills continue to baffle me.” Draco turned back around and busied himself with the garlands, tinsel and baubles. “Could you hand me the bells?”   
Harry handed him the bells with a soft smile. “Are those the last things you’re going to add?”   
Draco attached the bells to one of the posters and got down, stepping back a little to admire the result. “Well... Maybe... Fairy lights?”  
“We don’t have any electrical outlets in our room,” Harry noted.   
“Can’t we make them magic-operated? Like the ones out in the hallway?”  
Harry shrugged. “I think so, I’ll just have to look up the charms.”   
“Okay, let’s do it,” Draco said impatiently.   
“Right now?”   
“Yes right now! The book is probably in the office, I’ll go get it.” Draco immediately got to it, leaving their room and dashing to the office. The book was right where he expected it to be, thanks to Hermione’s clever organisation system of the office library. With the book firmly in his grip, he quickly ran back again, only to find their bedroom door closed. He gave it a push, experimentally, but it didn’t budge. “Harry?”  
“Just a minute...”   
It was quiet on the other side of the door for a few minutes, but then Harry opened the door for them, letting Draco back into their illuminated bedroom.   
“What – you didn’t need the book!” Draco accused when he saw functioning fairy lights strung around the posters of their bed and along the walls.   
Harry chuckled. “No, I just needed you out of the room for a while. Do you like it?”  
Draco stepped forwards and into Harry’s arms. “Oh, Harry.” He pecked his Alpha on the cheek. “I love it.”

 

Two weeks into Harry’s leave of absence, Draco was finally ready to share Harry with the world again... sort off.   
“Stay close to me okay?” Draco murmured as he pulled on his coat, readying himself to enter the winter cold with Harry.   
“Of course I will.” Harry smiled a little and grabbed Draco’s hand. “I won’t let go, I promise.”  
Draco managed to smile a watery smile and let Harry drag him out the door.   
“If it’s too much I’ll apparate us home,” Harry said in a soothing voice as he guided the both of them in the general direction of Diagon Alley. 

“Okay so we need...” Harry squinted at the list he wrote on a scrap piece of parchment. Draco snatched it out of his hand, sighing, “I can’t believe you are incapable of reading your own handwriting.” He smoothed out the crinkled piece and read out loud, “a gift for Ron, Hermione, Molly, Adelaide... Harry, you just wrote down most of the people we know.”  
Harry shrugged. “Yeah, well, I didn’t want to forget anyone.”  
Draco suppressed a laugh, leaning into Harry a little more. _He’s so precious_ , he thought a little amusedly, _“I didn’t want to forget anyone”._   
“We’ll head towards Crossroads first, for gifts for Molly and Hermione” he decided, looking at Harry for approval.   
“Sure.”  
They stepped through the Leaky Cauldron and onto Diagon Alley. Draco let Harry lead him through the mass towards Crossroads. Contrary to how crowded Diagon was, Crossroads was quiet. Upon entering, Draco counted seven people, including the employees.   
“So what should we get for them?” Harry asked, looking around.   
“Hermione likes anything rare, so we could look for things that aren’t printed anymore, and Molly really likes those Veela novels, I think,” Draco thought out loud. “What’s the budget for everyone?”   
Harry shrugged. “I don’t really care, you know that. Just pick something you think they’ll like. Unless you manage to spend four hundred galleons per person, we’ll be fine.”   
Draco smiled and gave Harry a quick kiss, making Harry chuckle. “Come on, let’s go find some Christmas gifts.”

Four hours later, the couple was laden with gifts and they were struggling to push through the shopping masses on Diagon Alley.   
“Let’s go get ice cream at Fortescue’s.” Harry pushed Draco towards the salon.   
“But it’s the middle of winter, Harry,” he protested half-heartedly.   
“Ice cream is always a good idea,” Harry easily countered. “Come on, it’s not even that busy there and my feet hurt.”   
“Fine...”   
When they stepped inside, Draco had to admit Harry was right; the shop was nearly empty save for one woman with white blonde hair sitting in the corner. Her face was obscured by the Daily Prophet, but Draco could see she sat with a straight back, perching on the edge of her chair like she was ready to leave any minute now. He sank down at a vacant table, leaving the ice cream-ordering to Harry. The women moved, her newspaper rustling and Draco was just about to ask her if he could have the review section, when Harry called out, “Draco, what do you want?”   
He looked up, “oh, erm, do they have any new flavours?”  
Harry scanned the list. “Yeah, a few.”  
“Just give me a scoop of those,” Draco decided. He turned back towards the woman to ask her about the newspaper and suddenly found himself face to face with...  
“Draco.”  
“Mother,” he breathed, the sudden fear flowing through his system making him feel paralysed.   
“Mrs Malfoy.” Harry greeted coldly, having moved quickly back to Draco as soon as he had heard her voice. When Draco felt his Alpha’s hand on his shoulder, reassuring, he managed to breathe in and he relaxed a little.   
“I didn’t realise you two had bonded.”   
Unconsciously, Draco lifted his hand to place his fingers against the mark, prominent on his throat. “Yes, well... I...”  
“Your father and I were led to believe you were still residing in a safe house,” his mother continued as if he hadn’t said anything.  
“That is true,” Harry answered stiffly.   
“You two do not live together?”  
“We do,” Harry slowly said, “my house is a fortress. No one can get in or out without my permission.” It wasn’t a threat, but the implication was clear.  
“Our floo is guarded,” Draco quietly contributed.   
“I see.”   
Draco looked at his mother, hoping he could find a trace of emotion, of a sign that she was glad to see him... anything.   
“I hope you’re happy.” It sounded stiff and Draco blinked. “I am.” He looked at Harry and couldn’t suppress a little smile. “Harry is the best Alpha I’ve ever had. I love him.”  
His mother looked away, still not showing any signs of emotion, but still, Draco knew that saying that would’ve hurt her.   
“I’m glad to see you’re happy.” Her voice was softer, had become a bit warmer, more like how she spoke to him when he still lived at home. “I... I should go. Merry Christmas, Mr Potter, Draco.” She side-stepped around them and was gone before he realised, leaving him whispering “Merry Christmas, mother,” to an empty space.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry's leave of absence seems to do the job; he and Draco are growing closer. What do you think about Harry reading Draco's book? About how he protected Draco from Narcissa? About how Draco slowly seems to realise that this really is his life, that there's no catch?
> 
> Let me know what you think/ how you feel!


	6. Edinburgh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 6! (Finally) I know that currently I'm uploading a chapter every 3-4 months on average right now and I do feel a little guilty about that, but with uni and the fact that I have to study 40-50 hours a week, this is the most I can produce.  
> I hope you like this nonetheless!

Harry had gotten another six weeks off from work. A month extension to his leave of absence, and two weeks after that because Draco’s heat was due right at the end of Harry’s leave of absence, at the beginning of March. 

Draco thought about how wonderful the last four weeks had been while he packed a suitcase for him and Harry. Tomorrow morning, they would leave for the private fertility clinic in Edinburgh. Harry hadn’t wanted to go to St Mungo’s because of the negative experiences he’d had there and Draco had readily agreed. St Mungo’s hadn’t seemed particularly attractive to him anyway.  
Draco was nervous. They both were, he could feel through the bond. But aside from the nervous butterflies in his stomach, he was excited. He couldn’t wait to carry Harry’s children.

They arrived at the clinic via the floo and were welcomed by a friendly, smiling beta women. She introduced herself as “Bella, pleased to meet you!” Draco immediately liked her warm, bubbly personality. Harry shook her hand and Draco bowed graciously for her. Bella bowed back and led them through the corridors which were, other than in St Mungo’s, painted a sunny yellow and adorned with paintings, cards and other handicrafts. Bella chatted cheerily, although Draco wasn’t really listening; he counted on Harry to do that for him.  
“Please wait here, Healer Roberts will be with you shortly,” Bella said, opening an office door and gesturing towards a comfortable looking settee. “In the meantime, can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?”  
Draco looked at Harry, expecting him to order for the both of them. Harry turned a little to look at Bella and managed a weak smile. A little concerned, Draco tugged on the bond to see if anything was wrong. Through it, he could feel Harry’s nerves, so he stepped a bit closer, hoping this would comfort Harry. It seemed to help, because Harry relaxed his shoulders a bit. “Two peppermint teas,” Harry politely, if still a little tense, said. “Thank you.” 

As they sat down, Draco scooted as close to Harry as he could and turned a little to  
press a quick kiss on his Alpha’s lips. “Don’t be nervous,” he whispered.  
“I can’t really help it,” Harry muttered. “What if it turns out – ”  
“Just don’t think about it,” Draco interrupted. “We're here now, we'll just have to see what they can do for us.” He kissed Harry again, this time lingering a little. As the door opened and Bella came in with a tray, another woman followed. Draco quickly rubbed his cheek against Harry’s in what he hoped was a comforting fashion before pulling back. Both women were looking at them and he blushed a little.  
“Hello, I’m Prudence Roberts,” the healer eventually broke the silence. She stepped around Bella and moved towards them. Harry stood up and shook her hand, but Draco remained seated. He was getting nervous and hiding behind Harry made him feel a lot safer. Healer Roberts just smiled at him and bowed anyway, to which he responded with small nod.  
Bella handed them their teas and left quickly. Healer Roberts sat down and studied Harry and Draco in silence. Draco looked back at her and sipped from his tea. He subtly attempted to sniff up the air but the peppermint smell was too dominating for him to be able to diffuse any of the smells other than peppermint and Harry. The combination was a very calming one though and soon he found himself leaning back into the settee more and making himself comfortable.  
“Well then,” healer Roberts started, “welcome to Yellow Springs. What can I do for you?” Her gaze slid towards Draco again, as if expecting him to start the conversation. So he did.  
“Harry and I want to have a baby,” he slowly said, still considering the words as they left his mouth.  
She looked at Harry. “You do?”  
“ _I_ do,” Draco said, a little sharper than he had intended.  
“We do,” Harry confirmed and Draco felt the cold, sharp fear that had been stuck in his stomach evaporate.  
Healer Roberts nodded once and grabbed a piece of paper. “So far, have you been trying to conceive?”  
Harry cleared his throat. “We’ve only been together for about two years now, so... No.”  
“Aha.” She looked at Draco again. “How old are you?”  
“Almost twenty-five,” Draco murmured. “But I’ve been on heat suppressants from my fifteenth until I met Harry so... seven years...”  
Healer Roberts seemed to make a quick calculation. “So you’ve been through five or six heats so far... That’s enough to be fertile.”  
“Seven heats, it was irregular at first,” Draco corrected shyly.  
“And how has that been? Was there anything that stood out to you, something you thought as different or strange about any of your recent heats? Right before, during or after?”  
Draco thought about her question for a while and sipped from his tea in the meantime. “I think I may have been a bit restless before the last two... different than usual...” He hesitated about how to tell healer Roberts about the other things and looked at the floor. “I, uhh... during... I’m always... I mean I always need Harry to ahm... to knot me but... it’s been... really bad... last time.”  
“And after?” She sounded tentative, very careful.  
Draco glanced at Harry, fighting the urge to shake his head and admitted, “after... for a day or two usually... I... there’s a bit of a bulge, right... here...” He gestured at his lower abdomen and bit his lip.  
“And of how many heats has this been occurring?”  
“After my last three heats,” he whispered.  
Healer Roberts nodded again. “It sounds to me like you are fertile, though of course I can’t conclude that with certainty without further research.” She nodded once more, as if agreeing with a plan she hadn’t spoken out yet. “So unless you have any questions I’d like to test you two on both fertility and the strength of your magical core and depending on the outcome of those tests we can decide what to do next.”  
Draco hesitated, but Harry didn’t. “Is it really that easy? I read all this stuff about different types of bonds and it seemed pretty complicated.”  
Healer Roberts snorted. “I can’t believe they still publish that crap. That system is outdated and based on archaic texts. I can’t say all of it is fake, but it certainly won’t be of any importance when it comes to whether or not you can have a baby, so please don’t worry about that. You can have a baby – regardless of the situation, I can help you realise a pregnancy and how easy or difficult it is going to be depends mostly on how strong Draco's magical core is.”  
Harry backed down easily. “Oh. Okay.”  
“How... how does such a test work?” Draco asked, “is it difficult?”  
Healer Roberts shook her head. “Not at all. Usually I can gather all the information I need to know by using a few spells. In only a few cases we need to use other methods, so if you’ll just sit still for a while...”

They left Yellow Springs in silence. Outside, Draco let out a breath of relief. “I guess it’s really easier than we thought it would be.”  
Harry laughed and he sounded relieved, too. “I can’t believe it’s mostly a matter of a set of potions.”  
“Me neither,” Draco quietly said. “They were so nice, too.”  
Harry wrapped his arm around Draco’s waist and pulled him a little closer, murmuring something Draco couldn’t quite make out, but that didn’t matter, he could feel how Harry felt through their bond.  
They were quiet for a little while longer, before Draco whispered, “should we go home?”  
“Don’t you want to look around Edinburg for a while?” Harry asked.  
Draco shook his head. “No... I want to go home.”  
So they went home. 

“... so all in all, it’s only a matter of deciding what we want,” Draco recapped their visit to Edinburg for Adelaide and Molly.  
“Have you made any decisions yet?” Adelaide inquired.  
Draco shook his head. “No, not yet. We did talk about it for a bit... It’s just that the options that we have don’t really account for Harry’s job.”  
Molly pushed a cup of tea in his direction, looking at him encouragingly, so he continued, “healer Roberts warned us that any of the treatments, whichever we choose, can leave me irrational, clingy and with irregular heats so...”  
“So exactly like you are now?” Adelaide teased and Draco kicked her underneath the table.  
“Play nice now, children,” Molly admonished them, making Draco chuckle, “yes mommy.”  
Adelaide giggled, “Draco!” and Molly looked away, though Draco could see her smile.  
“I’d like to go for the hormone potions though,” Draco attempted to be serious again, but Adelaide had such a laughing fit it was hard to be. He took his teacup and raised it for a sip when the kitchen floo roared to life and Harry came through.  
“Draco, there you are!”  
“I told you where I was going,” Draco defended himself half-heartedly.  
“I was barely awake!”  
“Well, you found me anyway,” Draco pointed out and he set his teacup back down. He let his gaze slide over Harry and took in the dishevelled sight of his Alpha; it looked like Harry had come here straight from his bed. Messy hair – though that wasn’t much of a change from the usual – hastily thrown on shirt and jeans and bleary eyes. Though he wanted to be annoyed with Harry’s appearance, he couldn’t help but think it was a little cute, too.  
Harry sighed. “Yeah, well...”  
“Can’t think of a good comeback?” Draco couldn’t withhold a smirk.  
Harry shrugged and sank down in the chair next to Draco. “What were you talking about?”  
Draco moved his chair so he could lean into Harry, though Harry’s lap would really be his preferred sitting place. “Edinburg.”  
Harry yawned. “... they were really nice there.”  
“Draco told us,” Molly nodded and then asked, “Harry, did you eat breakfast yet?”  
He shook his head, “I came here as soon as I woke up and noticed Draco wasn’t at home.” He smiled a bit sheepishly.  
“I’ll get you something then.” While Molly got up and fixed Harry some breakfast, Draco moved even closer to Harry and rubbed his cheek against Harry’s. From the corner of his eye he could see Adelaide looking away, so he stayed close to Harry and only stopped rubbing his cheek against Harry’s when Molly placed breakfast in front of Harry. Even then he was reluctant to let go of Harry. Molly smiled. “Don’t stop on my account, dear.” She moved back a few steps and when she was far away enough, Draco quickly brushed his cheek against Harry’s one more time before pulling back enough so Harry could eat.  
“You two look happy,” Adelaide eventually said.  
Harry gazed at her. “Did you think we weren’t?” It sounded defensive and Draco placed his hand on Harry’s thigh, hoping to calm him down.  
Adelaide clearly hesitated. “Well, I just thought...”  
“Harry, Adelaide is my friend, don’t hurt her,” Draco murmured whilst squeezing Harry’s thigh firmly.  
Harry backed down, but didn’t apologize.  
“Why don’t we go home?” Draco asked, feeling that Harry was still tense.  
“Yeah...” 

Back home, Draco convinced Harry that going upstairs, taking a shower and getting properly dressed would be well worth his while, so while Harry did that, Draco scoured their room for things that smelled like him and Harry and collected them in a spare laundry basket. When he was done, Harry wasn’t out of the shower yet, so Draco went on to the office to look for other things.  
He stood in front of Hermione’s desk and hesitated for a while, but eventually opened up one of her drawers and quickly found what he was looking for: a few hair ties and a scarf that smelled strongly of her. He lifted the scarf up to his nose and sniffed it, trying to decide if it was good enough. He really didn’t want to have to go to her directly to ask her for something else.  
“What are you doing?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CLIFFHANGER


End file.
